Change in the Wind
by camille-lkx
Summary: Prince Rei is fed up. Life at Otohata Hall is boring. But when he's sent to Iverness Royal Boarding School, life takes a much more interesting turn...especially with a princess named Aya.
1. Prologue

**CHANGE IN THE WIND  
** By: Megumi Skylark  
Edited by: Camille  
  
**Publisher's Notes:**  
  
Uhmmm... Hello! Hi! My friend, editor of my first fic (What You Least Expect – if you haven't read it, please do... It's also a Gals! Story...), and neighbor (sheesh! We are separated by a patch of grass, a tree, and a couple of meters of cement!), wrote this story... She is too lazy to put it under her account so she made me do it...  
  
Anyway, am also her editor now... Not really, because I only correct misspelled words and some grammatical errors... Hehehe... Anyway, just read it ok? And don't forget to review!!! (",)  
  
For Megumi Skylark: Ayan na... I finally uploaded it... Sorry sa delay... Alam ko na matagal na pero at least nagawa ko na no! Sabihin mo lang sa akin kung kelan ko upload ang next chappie... After exams siguro? Shout mo na lang answer mo... (",) Luv ya!  
  
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**_PROLOGUE_**  
  
My name is Rei Otohata.  
  
Prince, actually.  
  
No, that's not right. It's His Royal Highness, heir to the Phoenix throne, Prince Rei Philip Alexander Lacour Otohata.  
  
Quite a mouthful, ain't it?  
  
Personally, I think it sucks.  
  
Blame it on my mother. She insisted that I get, "at least", 3 names. Well, you should listen to her struggle with my name when she gets mad.  
  
My sisters got off easy. Cleossandra Eliza. Megumi Aria. See? Two names. I got twice as much. Aren't the guys sort of, you know, minimalist?  
  
Not when you're royalty, looks like.  
  
I am prince of a relatively large nation. Raegaia - the sister nation to Gaea, but is somewhat smaller than the latter. It has 24 orblis - city - which is ruled by a count/duke/old fat guy. And, each of those 24 fat guys somehow always have, at least, one spindly, chicken-like, horse-faced blabbermouth of a daughter that wants to marry me.  
  
Hey, I'm a lot of things, but I'm not egotistic, nor am I a liar.  
  
Man, are they ugly.  
  
I think even ogres would have gone into hiding at the sight of them. I shudder to think what would have happened to my sanity if any one of them were my wife. Gods, save me.  
  
Almost every other week, a "duke" knocks on the big stone door of Otohata Hall, and brings along this, this...thing and says that that...thing wants to marry the prince.  
  
How do I survive?  
  
Well, being a (underappreciated) genius of a boy of sixteen, I run and hide.  
  
Brilliant, huh?  
  
Thankfully, I have two sisters that have amazing powers of persuasion, and convince dear daddy that, that...thing isn't what I was looking for to be happy, what the family wanted to uphold the Otohata honor, what Raegaia needed to survive and become greater...Told you they were good.  
  
So far, this has worked for the past 8 "dukes", so it's going great.  
  
Really.  
  
Hey, I don't hate women. They're really cool - and useful for many, many things. I'm fine with them. I don't know. Maybe it's like what Cleo said - "Rei, you're not ready for a relationship yet." Is she right?  
  
No. That's wrong. I can love. I can see myself in love. But, I can't see the one I'm supposed to love. The "Right One" just hasn't come yet. All the girls that are worth looking at are either my friends, taken, not royal or all.  
  
Hell, I wouldn't mind having a girlfriend. I mean, a guy has to feed the ego every once in a while, don't you think? Moonlight talks, walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, make-out sessions - can't wait for that - one of the many things I'm missing out.  
  
Two weeks ago, my parents held a ball here.  
  
All my royal friends came.  
  
With their consorts. See the s? Yep, plural. All of them had a girlfriend or wife.  
  
Heero and Relena. Duo and Hilde. Trowa and Middi. Quatre and Dorothy. Wu Fei and Sally (still can't believe this one). Van and Hitomi (I personally handled this "getting together"). Tamahome and Miaka. Dryden and MIllerna. Ukiya and Ruriko. Kenshin and Kaoru. Recca and Ana. Arika and Belmont. Koji and Karen. Sanosuke and Megumi (not my sister). And the list goes on and on and on.  
  
As I watched all of them dance that night, hold hands, lose themselves in each others' gaze, I couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy. And loneliness.  
  
Did I mention my sisters are in the same boat?  
  
Cleo is "supposedly" working at the stables, taking care of the horses. Ha, working, my ass.  
  
More like making out with the son of the Duke of Muave City, Henry.  
  
And even Meg! Meg! Hey, I have no idea who the guy is, but I'm sure I saw her sneak off two nights in a row to meet someone over at the pond. A male someone. Geez. What a blow to the ego, man.  
  
Why am I like this? I have no blamed idea why I sound so...so...ungrateful. Depressed. Unhappy. Despondent. Glum. Whatnot. Most of the peasants would kill to eat what I eat for one meal. I'm damn rich. There's one vault for the family treasures (not that one. The other one.), another vault for gold, one for diamonds, one for the other, "less valuable" jewels, and (Can you belive this?) one for PETTY CASH. I have everything I want. Fame, fortune, glory, power, company -  
  
Okay, you got me.  
  
I have no friends.  
  
Don't get me wrong. I'm not antisocial. I'm not a loner. I do not have the social skills of a dead slug. I know how to say "Hi" and "Bye" to people. I know when to smile. I can laugh. I can crack a joke.  
  
It's just...there's no one.  
  
Seeing as I'm the frickin prince of this entire frickin country, and I can chop anybody's frickin head off whenever I frickin want, non-royals cower at the sight of my frickin shadow. It frickin sucks, honestly.  
  
But I had friends. It just so happens none of them were my age, and are now currently occupied with running their respective nations, or go smooching with their wives. Which is the lesser of the two evils, I do not know.  
  
Take the Gundam Princes. They were one great bunch, especially the triplets, Heero, Duo, Trowa. You'd never expect they were brothers, let alone born all the same time, but that's the royals for you. Quatre was very, very, very kind for a human being, and Wu Fei...well...let's just leave it to that. But the triplets were 19. Quatre was 18, and Wu Fei was 17. They had responsibilities. And wives.  
  
Van Fanel was another excellent "playmate". Or co-chaos-causer. He was the heir to the throne of Fanelia, a nation in Gaea. Plus, he brings along his friend, Dilandau, who by the way, is the next in line for the top knight force in the world, the DragonSlayers. Neat, huh?  
  
But they're eighteen. And Van just got married three months ago, to Hitomi Kanzaki, a girl from the Mystic Moon (so they say). (Did I say Hitomi pretty cool, too?)  
  
Another welcome visitor to our kitchen was Tamahome. Yeah, okay, he was kinda old, and he came to see Cleo instead of me, (Cleo's the best friend of Miaka, who Tamahome has a thing for, so there you go.) but still, he was one heck of a fighter.  
  
There were many others, actually. A lot of princes loved coming by the palace. One, my sisters were hot. Hey, I just quoted that. To me, they're plain annoying. Two, we have a huge backyard. Okay, more like, a backyard the size of a town with no houses just grass and a river, kind of backyard. Three, of our thirty pantries get stocked daily. Thirty?! I can barely make it through one, and mark you, I am a growing teenage boy! I need vitamins! Not that much, though.  
  
So, why am I complaining?  
  
I'm lonely.  
  
I'm bored.  
  
It's the same people I see everyday. It's the same TV shows, same movies, same video games where blood oozes out of a grotesque skull and scares the bejeezus out of my cousins (whiny, irritating brats, they all are), same food, same servants, same Raegaia Idol, same old soppy soap operas (what is it with mermaids? What is it about obviously fake fins that reaches out to the masses? Personally, I think that the mermaids should cut their hair. It kinda gets in the way, if you get my drift.), same everything.  
  
I want to see a new face. I want to hear a different tune. I want something, anything to happen. When Dilly was here, you can expect a building to go up in flames within 20 minutes of his arrival. Not that I want to burn down the palace...But I crave for excitement.  
  
But nothing ever changes here.  
  
There's something...missing.  
  
I quote, "An empty place in my heart, a lost piece of my soul, a star gone from the studded sky at night...One nail missing from the table, one voice absent from the choir...If one bolt is gone from the machine, it may never work." Crap, I know...But, turns out, crap is true.  
  
I wonder, will there be a change in the wind?  
  
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READ AND REVIEW!!!  
  
Please? (sweatdrops)  
  
Look out for the next chappie soon!!! (",)


	2. Royals

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** :

Oh my gosh. You actually found TIME to read this silly rambling excuse for a fic?!?! Hwow, shocking!

To all my reviwers : Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

So, you like Rei here, huh?

Yeah, he sounds cool.

Please tell me if he stop acting like a boy and starts sounding like a deranged anime fangirl. Please.

To Cammie : Thanks for putting up with me incessant pleas to post this...It will not go unrewarded...I'll do anything EXCEPT walk Chay-Chay - man, that dog is huge!

**DISCLAIMER** : Don't own it.

_---------------------------_

_**CHAPTER 2 - ROYALS **_

I shut my eyes and throw the thick silk blanket over my head. 'Too early...need beauty sleep...go away...'

As I buried my head deeper into the pillow, the door creaked open.

Before I knew it, the curtains were thrown open, letting in a most unhealthy dose of sunlight. And to add to the torture, my last defense (aka the blanket) was unceremoniously wrenched out of my grip, and thrown down to the floor. In an instant, glaring rays assaulted me.

"Aw...can't you let me sleep longer?" I groaned, lying down on my stomach, sheilding my face from the unforgivable sun.

A curt, stern voice replied. "Highness, it is ten o'clock. Time for royals to get up."

"Yeah, and the royal says go away."

"Sir, your food is getting cold."

"We have thirty pantries, dammit. I doubt it if that food will be missed."

"They have your favorite, pancakes with chocolate syrup, sir."

"They always have that."

"The princess wanted to see you."

"Meg or Cleo?"

"Cleo, sir."

"Cleo's not here, dimwit."

"Meg, sir."

"Meg's outside. I heard her screaming."

"Sir, you must get up, or I will be forced to take drastic measures."

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" I hollered, turning around and sitting up.

Otis looked at me severely. "Sir, if you are now awake enough to act your age, please get out of that bed so that I can fix it, and if you will be so kind, get dressed."

I scowled. "Fine. Be that way." I shot out of bed, and went to my bathroom.

The servant shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Same as always."

Okay, so I'm not a morning person. Who is? I hate being shaken awake. I hate being disturbed. I am a boy who appreciates his sleep. It's that one time of day when I can escape from boredom.

I change into my everday clothes, a blue shirt over a white long-sleeved one, jeans, and old Adidas sneakers. Casual, neat, cool. What were you expecting, a crown? Yeah, right.

My reflection stared back at me, as I stuggle to tame my wild hair with the comb and a gallon of gel. I honestly don't know what women see in me. (Told you I wasn't egotistic.) I have dark brown hair that sometimes gets into my eyes, and, according to my mother, is as "stubborn as the person who grew it." Blue eyes, rather tall, skinny...Not much of prince, really.

I let out a yawn, and left the bathroom. My bed is already made, and the curtains are now fully drawn back. I squinted my eyes, binded, and turned around and left my room.

Otohata Hall is huge. There are four galleries, making the palace look like a cross from above. The building in the middle, called the Silver Helix because it's roof is in a spiral shape, is where everyone assembles - ergo, the dining hall - or is sometimes used as the entrance hall.

The East Wing is the Gallery of Knowledge. Libraries after libraries, computer rooms, science rooms, map rooms, greenhouses all on the first floor, and the Celestial Ward at the top floor. The West Wing is the Hall of Power, named after the TV show. My father was a fan of it. It's where all the officials, kings, and anyone related to politics gather and make life-changing decisions that could make or break the country. South is the Art Chamber. Or Beauty. Whatever. I hate this place. So many flowers, enough to make you sick and vow never to see another one ever again. This one has paintings, after painting...and all kinds things that would make people look good, like spas. Ew.

The North Wing is the Living Quarters. When I hear it's official name, I think of a soldier's barracks. Shudder. It's where the living rooms, sitting rooms, game rooms, attics, basements, bed chambers, bedrooms, bathrooms, den, dayroom, and all that are located. Basically, it's my favorite place in Otohata Hall.

Another great thing about palaces, is that there are loads of secret passages. Heaps of hidden rooms that are the perfect place when you want to hide from wannabe wives of the Crown Prince. My favorite one is the loft on the top floor of the North Wing. A concealed staircase (next to the mirror outside the Midnight Blue Den) winds up all the way to a small room facing the east and looking over the lake and gardens.

It's where I can watch, through the wide window that runs the entire length of the wall, Meg make a fool of herself as she gets lost in the maze, Cleo write her stories, Father ride the horses, Mother tend her plants...Like a watchtower, you know?

There's one small shelf, which I placed all my comics and books. A small day bed (sort of like a couch and bed thrown into one) with one pillow (I'm don't want to be choked to death by pillows, thank you very much), around three bean bags, a rug that takes up most of the floor, a desk when I get in the mood to do school work (Yeah, right.), and the best part, a huge stereo on the wall across the bed.

It's massive. The main component has three tape players, and a five disc changer. Awesome. Two huge speakers stand on either side of it, and I placed the other smaller ones around the room for surround sound. Hey, it said on the box - do-it-yourself - and besides, no explosions! Yet.

I slide down the main staircase's handrail, and plop down on the floor of the Silver Helix. I look down on the dining table, and see that no one left me a pancake.

"Thanks a whole lot for leaving me breakfast. No, I'm not really hungry, Mother. Don't leave me anything. Yeah, thanks for letting me die of starvation!" I shout out loud, my temper getting the better of me.

All the plates of food were scraped clean, with hardly a scrap or crumb left. Glaring at the unbelievably clean dishes, I spotted one platter untouched. "Bread. One lousy croissant. The Crown Prince of Raegaia is forced to eat one measly piece of bread for breakfast. Heads will roll today."

"Well, getting the hang of ruling with an iron fist already, Your Highness?"

I turn around and face my older sister, Cleo. I glared at her, and went to pick up the lone scrap of food. She had her arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow. "What, no 'I missed you'? 'Welcome back, sis'? 'Long time, no see'?"

I look her up and down. "You look like crap."

Cleo tossed her long, curly black hair over her shoulder. "So I hear."

"When did you arrive?" I asked, before stuffing my mouth full of wheat.

"Just ten minutes ago. I met Meg on the way. Gods, she grew a lot when I was gone." Her dark forest green eyes twinkled.

I smirked. "Yeah. She grew sideways."

"I heard that, smart ass!" A shrill voice echoed. I look towards the doors leading to the garden and saw my other, this time younger sister, Meg.

It's weird how different my sisters' are. Cleo has black-brown hair with green eyes. She's super smart - you know, A all the way -, kind of short for 18, soft-spoken, inhumanly patient, a good cook, respectful, but a wild streak keeps her from being Ms. Perfect. Meg, on the other hand, is as weird as a three-dollar bill. Orange hair (not kidding. It's as orange as well...an orange.), blue eyes that always seem to change shade (one minute, sky blue, the next dark blue, the next powder blue), unnaturally tall for 14 (5'7?! She's catching up to me!), talkative, bubbly, loud, noisy, impatient, a good eater, smart - capable of achieving A, but sometimes forget what 'A' means - and basically, one freaky girl.

I blinked innocently. "Did I say something?"

Meg's blue eyes flashed dangerously. "You said I was fat!"

"No, I didn't! Are you deaf, too?"

"Well, Sparky...I have selective hearing, y'know."

"That explains so much." Cleo said.

"Eh?"

Cleo and I looked at each other, then glanced at Meg, and looked at each other again, and rolled our eyes.

"Hey, I'm still here!" Meg waved her hands above her head.

My other sister held her hand over her mouth in faked surprise. "Oh, really?! I haven't noticed! Sorry, honey, I didn't see you there."

"Ha. Forgot to laugh, Cleo." The two of them glared daggers at each other, and burst out laughing.

Girls. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I then asked, "Hey, what time is it?"

Meg answered, "It's time for you to buy your own watch."

"Ha. When I can I laugh?" I raised my eyebrow, something I'm very good at.

"It wasn't a joke, Rei, it was a remark. And a reminder...kinda."

Cleo smiled at me. "Ten thirty. Why?"

"I just woke up."

"Yeah, we missed you breakfast, Sparky." Meg said.

I smirked. "Did you miss me enough to leave me some food?"

"Nope!" Another thing about Meg, she tells no lies. Yeah, sometimes she lies, but eventually she'll tell the truth.

"I thought so. Where's Mother?"

Meg pointed to the way she came in. "In the garden, Rei. Want to come with me?"

Cleo looked at the both of us and said, "Hey guys, I have to go. Need to unpack and get things in order. You mind if I go?"

Meg shook her head. I turned to Cleo and answered, "Yeah, take you time, sis. You need to look more like a princess, not some lass picked up by the wandering trade ship and dunked overboard."

"Shut up, Rei. Since when have you started talking like that?"

I jerked my thumb over at Meg. "Since she played Pirates of the Carribean over and over again nonstop for the past week, it's amazing we've haven't started speaking with a British accent."

"Can't blame me, mate. Can I help it if Orlando and Johnny look 'mazing as pirates? 'Credible how they do that...Makes me want to comandeer a ship and go pilfer my weasly black guts out!" Meg answered, in a very convincing British accent.

I turned to face Cleo, and said. "Savvy?"

"Okaaay...Next time I leave, I'm staying out for two days, tops." My older sister rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "And we're supposed to be royalty."

"And we are royally nuts! Whee!" Meg started bouncing up and down, and whirling around like a top.

Before she could do serious damage to the fine porcelain, I grabbed a fist-full of her hair, and tugged - hard.

"Son-of-a-boar-gundam-thing! What the hell did you that for?!" She yelled straight at my ear. I released her hair out of my hand, and snapped my fingers near the ear she just might have probably rendered deaf.

"I really liked my hair, Rei! If you pulled on it any harder, I would have lost all of it! And it's getting really long! Omae o Korosu!"

Now sure that my ear is working probably, I asked her. "Meg, have the Gundam boys visited lately, by any chance?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

"You're sounding just like them. Answer the question."

"Sheesh, Sparky. They came the day before yesterday. You were out riding Phantom. Stayed for lunch and left right after that, bloody scallywags."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Hey, I know my voice is loud, but not that loud to reach you at the other end of the palace grounds, 40 miles away."

We turned a corner and walked towards at the veranda.

It was simple, no huge fountains or statues of kings long gone. Just a lot of nice big trees that are perfect for listening to music, reading a book or plain day-dreaming. Oh, and the occasional flower bed.

My mother was sitting on the swing when Meg and I found her, near the small pond.

She's really beautiful, my mom.

Long brown hair that reaches her knees when untied, blue eyes that Meg and I inherited. Eyes that either twinkle or burst into flames, and always have this mysterious sparkle. Tall, queenly, yet kind. Boy, is she kind. Yup, that's my mom.

"Hey, Ma!" My sister dashed toward her. "Watcha reading?"

Varie (my mom) looked up from a piece of paper I didn't notice, at first. She smiled at me, and rolled her eyes at Meg. "Dear, tone it down a little bit."

Meg sighed, and said. "Rei wanted to see you."

She turned to me and nodded. "Well, psychic factor of 10. I was wanting to talk to you, too." Mom pointed at the space next to her.

I walked closer and sat down. Meg waved bye, and muttered something about meeting someone, and ran in the direction of the lake.

"Who's she meeting?" I asked my mother.

"Oh, someone. Why, don't you know?" She gave me a surprised look.

"Am I supposed to know something?"

"Honestly, Meg hasn't told you, Rei?"

"Told me what?"

Mother rolled her eyes, and laughed. "Oh, never mind. It's not my secret to tell."

Now having aroused my suspicion, I pressed on. "Awww...C'mon Ma, tell me!"

"No, dear. I can't tell you if you don't know. You have to find out like Cleo-"

"Cleo knows?!"

"Well, they're sisters, aren't they?"

"And what am I, the next-door neighbor?!"

She laughed again. "Oh, don't take it seriously, Rei. You'll find out. You might catch Meg."

"Oh man...Mother, one last question - How else knows about this?"

"Just a minute, let me think." She said, and looked thoughtfully at the fountain. After a while, she answered. "Your father, Otis, Cleo, um...Oh, right, Duo, Heero, Van, and I think Dilandau, that patient and shy boy-"

I snorted. Dilly was a lot of things, but not in a million years was he shy. Or patient.

"Quiet, Rei. Well...that's all I can think of. Now, what did you want to see me for?" Mother turned to me.

"Just wanted to see you, Mother. Making sure you're still alive, and all."

"Ah...We missed you at breakfast."

"I can see that. Your concern over my hunger and appetite was overwhelming, really." I raised my eyebrow.

She smiled, and said, "You sound exactly like your father."

"I wonder how? Is it because, um, I think, I'm his son?" I answered sarcastically.

This caused to laugh harder. "You'd make a great king, Rei."

I leaned back on the bench, and raised my arms beside my head. "Sure I would, Mom."

"Which reminds me, dear, I have to tell you something."

I turned to her. "What?"

"We-ell..."

------------------

This is so not happening.

Not to me.

Aw, fuck.

No.

No.

It's been a whole day, and I still can't process it.

Not processing...Not processing...

"ARGH! NO!"

I slammed my fist against the wall of my room.

Okay, let me explain my sudden fit of violence.

Remember that my mom was supposed to tell me something, right?

You might wanna sit down for this.

There is this deal, this ancient agreement that started a long time ago. You see, when the leaders of all the countries on Earth were established, there was this problem. One of the leader's sons, well, needed a wife, so to speak. Turned out, most of the royal kids needed a wife / husband. So, all the leaders sent their kids to this "boarding school", where they would be trained to become better, you know, learn Math, Latin, Greek, English and a whole bunch of crap...

But the main objective of this school was to play matchmaker.

Yeah, sorta like the "Hormone Capital of Royals". Everybody gets to find somebody. Or rather, has.

So this school deal thing applies only to royals aged 14 above- marriageable age, of course- and who have not been engaged in any relationship, marriage, scandal, and other things.

Otherwise - little 'ol me.

Hey, when I wanted a change in the wind, I didn't mean a typhoon.

Look, I don't understand it any more than you do. How come no one else I knew were sent to boarding school?

Dilly? Van? Meg? Cleo? Heero? Duo?

Is it because my parents are that desperate to get me married?

Oh, please, Gods, don't answer that.

--------------------

"Be careful, dear. Iverness is on the other side of the world, so don't expect it to be like home. Watch out for all those mean people, oh, and don't forget to drink your vitamins-"

"Don't worry, bro, you'll make it."

"When you come back, I'll set up a huge bonfire."

"Man, you're so lucky! Think of all the royal chicks!"

"Why don't you go, instead of him?"

"You kidding? And study all those dead languages? Nu-uh!"

"Sparky, I swear, if you go all preppy and good-boy on me, I'll kill you!"

"Rei, you'll love Iverness. I swear!"

"You been there, girl?"

"Um, well, passed by it more like..."

"Right...I smell something..."

"Dilly!!!"

"What?"

"Aaaah!!! My hair is on fire! My hair is on fire!"

"Bye, Rei!"

"See ya in two years, buddy!"

"Two years? He's gone that long? Whew..."

"Come back in one piece!"

"Tell all the chicks I said hi!"

"Sparky! Make sure you bring home a girl!"

"Make sure she's good in bed!"

"Shut up, Duo!"

"Make me proud, Rei!"

Cheers, mate, to a new beginning.

For better or worse.

-----------------

Like it? Please like it...

-- Note : The Meg here - that's me. Don't worry, Cam, you're in here...A real lucky role too...Dang...

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	3. Of Hookers, Bony Men, and Friends

CHAPTER 3 : OF HOOKERS, BONY MEN, AND FRIENDS

I step out of the black limousine, and took one long look at the expanse of stone castles, with lots of teenagers walking around, that is Iverness Royal Boarding School.

This place sucks.

Just kidding.

No, seriously.

Yeah, I know, I've only been here for only what, 3 seconds, and I already hate the place. "Give the place a chance, Rei. You'll love it, I swear."

Love it, my ass.

Like a place that's crawling with lazy brats with "delicate constitutions", teeming with jerks with heads that are inflated enough for them to float, and hookers that parade around with a sash and a crown is something I would love. Uh, wrong answer.

And this all happened within three seconds. Bloody 'mazing.

I trudge out of the car, whistling Simple Plan's Shut Up. My old green backpack swung slightly from my shoulder. Then the driver, Alfred says something that sounds like, "I'll give your bags later!" I shrug it off, and head towards the main entrance of Iverness Royal Boarding School. Whopeedoo.

Some girls with overflowing, ehem, chests looked out of the windows and waved at me. As usual, I raised my eyebrow at them, and glared. Instead of melting into the appropriate pile of jelly, this seemed to have encouraged them more, and made them call out, "Hey, cutie-pie! Look this way, honey!"

I was baited fish.

I turned around, and asked, "You called?"

They giggled louder, and the one in the middle, which seemed to have the largest cup size, answered. "Where you at, babe?"

"Just arrived."

"Who's our teacher, by the way?"

"Uh, excuse me, are we actually classmates?" Gods, I love that line.

Cup DD blushed, and averted her gaze. The one in the middle, with blonde hair all over the place, grinned lazily. "Hey, can you show me the way to the library?"

I gave her a grin of my own, and pointed to the gate. "No, but I'd gladly show you the way out."

Her eyebrows shot up, and the sick smile was replaced by a frown. The last one, wearing something that showed more skin, and had less cloth, asked. "You wanna sign up for something?"

"Of course I do, but definitely not with you."

Otohata - 1, Hookers - Zippo! All right!

They all glared at me, and disappeared from the window.

What? They were practically drooling! And you know how hookers are like...

A tall man suddenly walked up to me. Gray hair, stern glare, towering over me, casting a shadow over everything that moved - Note to Self : Do NOT mess with this guy.

He bowed low. "Prince Rei, may I escort you to your room?"

I raised an eyebrow, and nodded. He bowed again, turned around and started walking.

What a FANTASTIC way to start off my new life.

The man stopped abruptly in front of a huge carved wooden door, with the number 11 on it. Surprised, I was unable to engage my brakes, and thus slammed into his back.

Hard and bony.

He turned around, and gave me a glare that reminded me a lot of my mother when she found out that I was the one that set the birds and animals loose from the zoo.

Not on purpose, anyway.

"Your Highness, this will be your dormitory. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes." 'Like, duh? Anything to get away from you.'

He bowed again, (what is it with this guy and bowing?) took a key, and opened the door.

As soon as he opened a crack, this huge BLAST of music rushed out. Simple Plan. Jump. Nice taste.

"Hey, WATCH THE HAIR, YAMATO!"

"Forgive the lowly peon, my oh-so-mighty heir to the Duke of Westlake."

"Is that supposed to be a joke? Because I am the oh-so-mighty heir to the Duke of Westlake..."

"No, dude, I meant it as a compliment."

"Oh. I see."

Mr. Bony Man opened the door further and the music softened a bit. The two voices I hear arguing quieted at he stepped in.

"Sir Yamato and Sir Yuuya, will you allow me to introduce, Prince Rei Philip-" I decided to interrupt him before he bored my new roommates to death, by quickly entering the room and shoving the creep man aside.

"Actually, you guys can just call me Rei." I managed a sheepish grin, and scratched the back of my head.

The brown haired guy sitting near a desk nodded, and stood up, offering his hand. "Nice to meet you, Rei. I'm Kutobuki Yamato."

I turned to the other occupant of the room, which was currently busy checking out his hair in front of the full length mirror. I could hear him muttering - "It took me THREE damn hours to get this style right! Thank gods, Yamato did NOT mess it up! Don't wanna put up a bad impression for the girls on the first day of classes now, hotshot?"

Yamato rolled his eyes, and said, "Yuuya, if you aren't doing busy making out with yourself, wouldn't you like to come back to the world of the sane and meet our new roommate?"

Yuuya snorted and glared at Yamato. "This is a VERY important time for me, okay? I am still dealing with the shock of you ALMOST destroying my perfect hair!" He caressed the blond spikes tenderly.

"You do know that I could just shave it all off while you're sleeping."

A dark look passed over Yuuya's face. "You wouldn't dare."

Yamato pointed to one of the drawers in the desk. "Got the razor and the scissors right over there. Just say the word, buddy."

The blonde boy's brown eyes widened and he sighed. "I give up." He walked away from the mirror, but without giving one last fluff to his hair, and one last wink to himself.

Whoa, if I didn't know any better, I'd think this guy was gay.

As he got closer, he also stuck out his hand. "Yuuya's the name, scoring chicks is the game."

I raised an eyebrow (I have the feeling that I'll be doing this a lot with him.) and shook his hand. "Rei. That's a nice job you have, Yuuya."

He smirked. "Couldn't ask for more."

Yamato snorted. "Please, Yuuya, if there's one thing you're good at, it's chasing girls. And dumping them."

Yuuya frowned at his friend and crossed his arms. "Dude, you don't know the first thing about being a player. One of the most important rules is to never be stuck with the same girl for one week - tops."

I smirked. "There are girls, Yuuya, not clothes."

He gave me a smirk of his own. "And don't I know it."

While the three of us continued talking, Mr. Creepy and Bony Man had gone out and has come back with all my bags.

"Prince Rei?"

I turned around. "Yes?"

He gestured at the suitcases and boxes. "I assume these are all your things?"

I counted - 4 roller bags, 3 trunks, and about 10 boxes. Yup, that's half of it. "Yes, thank for bringing it up here."

He bowed (Argh!) and walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Yamato let out a long whistle. "Are these all YOURS, man?"

I laughed. "What can I say? I have two overprotective sisters, and one maniac mother. Of COURSE I have to bring the whole castle."

Yuuya, whose face brightened up at the word "sisters", asked, "Are they available?"

I glared at him. He raised his hands. "Whoa, down there, Sparky. Just kidding. Wouldn't want my head cut off now."

"You wouldn't be able to handle them anyway." I pointed at the door in the middle. "Is that my room?"

Yamato nodded. "Yep. You get a closet, bed, desk, and other room things. We three share a bathroom, which is over there-" He pointed at a door at the right end of the room "-and that door opens to the balcony." The door was in between my room and I think, Yamato's.

"Balcony?"

"Just in case you want to escape, or in Yuuya's case, watch the pretty girls in skimpy bathing suits swim in the lake."

"So..." Yuuya grinned at me. "Shall we unpack?"

When I get home, I will KILL Cleo and Meg.

Since I did refused to pack my clothes (How many times must I tell you people that I do NOT want to be HERE!), my sisters did it for me.

I didn't even know I had that neon pink and neon orange shirt.

So, after three hours, 34 minutes and 19.5 seconds, Yamato and I were finally able to fit all my clothes in my closet, put all my books in the book case, and other stuff in the desk and in the small cabinet at the foot of the bed. Bloody miracle, I tell ya, considering how Yuuya kept rifling through my stuff. Remind me to kill him later.

I haven't described our room, have I?

It's this HUGE octagonal room, with couches and chairs in the middle, and a TV (not flat screen, but hey! It's got cable!). There's also this HUGE fireplace at one end, just in case the power goes out. Desks at another end, with computers and study stuff. Like Yuuya's ACTUALLY gonna use them.

My beloved stereo is against another wall, which is now stocked with my punk CD's and Yuuya's R&B CD's. Yamato's guitar is right next to it. Yamato's pretty good at playing it, too.

And as much as I REGRET saying this - Yuuya is ACTUALLY a good singer.

Can I go die now?

I have the room in the middle, with Yuuya on my right and Yamato on my left. This puts me in a REALLY tight spot. If Yamato decides to play the guitar FULL blast, I'm dead. If Yuuya brings a girl over, (he's already got ten numbers written down somewhere), I'm dead. If they BOTH do that at the same time, I...might probably kill myself.

Maybe it's not too late to learn how to play the bagpipes?

Or...

Maybe I could get a girl.

You didn't hear that.

I think I hear Yamato calling.

Yuuya draped his legs on the coffee table as he started flipping channels. "Disney? No. Nickelodeon? Not SpongeBob. MTV? Bloody classics. NGC? Get out! Get out! ETC? Effing Elimidate. They'll regret the day they didn't let me join. That Joanna babe would've pick me hands down. AXN? CSI - I'm not in the mood to throw up right now. Chinese, Chinese, Chinese - Ah, good old ESPN."

I came out, wearing my black boxers and plain blue shirt. "Watcha watching, Yuuya?"

"NBA Finals last year - Lakers virus Pistons."

I took a seat on the couch opposite him. "Which game is it?"

"Game One."

"Pistons or Lakers."

"Lakers. Damn you, Dektrait!" The blonde shook his fist at the TV.

Yamato came out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Oh, what the TV do now, Yuuya?"

"Damn basketball game."

I caught his gaze, and we both rolled our eyes.

Yuuya saw us and exclaimed, "Hey! What was that!"

I answered, "Nothing, dude. Just wanted to stretch our eyes." Yamato winked at me, and went inside his room.

"Whatever, Rei. Hey, you never told us where you're from."

I looked away. "Raegaia."

"Oh, yeah? What orblis?"

It took me a while to answer that question. "Venisha."

Yuuya took a deep breath. "Wait, if you're from Venisha, that means-" His eyes widened. "You're the fucking PRINCE!"

I raised my eyebrow (Twice and counting.) "Got a problem with that?"

His jaw dropped so low it could clean the carpet already. "Dude! You've got to be, like, the MOST POWERFUL kid here! I mean, when you said that you would execute me when I almost dropped your stereo - you could really do that!"

I sighed. "That doesn't mean I'd really DO it, Yuuya."

"That's not the point, man! What the hell are you doing HERE!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up, Yuuya. Did I just hear that Rei is the CROWN PRINCE!" Yamato has apparently bionic hearing.

Yuuya nodded. Yamato laughed. "This is WICKED! Hey, man-" He turned to me. "Is it true? Does the Royal Palace ACTUALLY have twenty pantries?"

I leaned back, and crossed my arms. Hoo, boy. "Actually, it's thirty."

The two Y's (my new name for them) exclaimed, "COOOL!" They sounded like two ten-year-olds that have been given a lifetime passport to DisneyPlanet.

"Is it true that there's like, lots of babes there?"

"Is it true that the palace has FOUR huge wings?"

"I heard that girls there walk around naked! ALL THE TIME!"

"I heard that there's this AWESOME place in the back where you can use all this cool stuff, like hoverboards and gravity boots!"

"Do you think that those girls have phone numbers?"

"Do you think they'd let me in that place?"

Both of them stopped their yammering (Hmm...how about the yammering Y's?) and looked at me expectantly.

"What!" I said.

They rolled their eyes (HEY! That's MY job!) and Yamato asked, in this oddly patient voice that reminded me of Cleo, whenever she would tell me that I should never, ever set the palace on fire, "Is it true, then?"

"What is?" Told ya I was stubborn.

"ALL OF IT! The babes, the beaches, the food - talk to us, man!" It was then that I was first subjected to the power of Yuuya's UltraPowerful Puppy Dog Eyes.

Damn those eyes.

I let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay, first of all, no, Yuuya, girls do NOT walk around naked." The glimmer in his eyes seemed to fade a bit. "But - " I continued. "With the clothes they wear, or lack thereof, they're pretty much good as naked."

"YYYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSS! SCORE!"

"And, Yamato, we don't have that place thingy, though when I get back, I'll tell my mother to put up one. But we do have a HUGE backyard."

As I left the two of them with their childhood dreams of babes and toys, I was about to get up when Yamato asked me another question.

"Rei, why are you here?"

Ah, the million dollar question.

Both of them looked at me expectantly.

I smirked. "Okay, what's with the third degree?"

Yuuya held his hands up. "Nothing, man! We just wanted to know. It's not everyday the CROWN PRINCE of RAEGAIA goes to Iverness. You're an HONEST-TO-GOD FRICKIN' ROYAL!"

My eyebrow is getting REALLY tired, right now.

"So? What if my parents just wanted to send me to Iverness?"

Yamato snorted. "Rei, if there's one thing about royals, they don't GO to Iverness. They don't need it."

I groaned. "Aw great. Can I get anymore pathetic? I mean, first, everybody I KNOW is getting married. My best friends, Cleo, and Meg's not so far behind! And then my PARENTS tell me to go to this school which is actually disguised as a frickin' MATCHMAKING CAPITAL, and guess what? I'm not even supposed to be here!" I'm not mad. Just frustrated.

"Remind me to NEVER make you mad." Yuuya said.

"It wouldn't make any difference."

Yamato frowned. "Okay, let me get this straight - your PARENTS wanted YOU to come HERE?" I nodded. "Dude, are they THAT desperate to get you married?"

I buried my head in my hands. "Oh, gods, please no!"

"Hey! Look at the bright side, Rei! You get to meet girls!" Eeenk, wrong, Yuuya.

"Rei, have you EVER had a girlfriend before? Wait, how old are you, sixteen?"

"Yeah, I'm sixteen, and no, no girlfriend."

Yuuya let out a deep sigh. "You poor unfortunate soul."

Yamato gave him a Look. "Dude, just because we don't have girlfriends, doesn't mean we're losers."

I looked at Yamato. "Wait, you don't have girlfriend?" He blushed and nodded. "I guess that makes two of us then." He smiled.

Now it's my turn. "Where are you guys from?"

"Asuo Yuuya, heir to Duke of Westlake!" He stood up, and bowed eerily like Mr. Bony Man.

There's only so much bowing I can take in one day. I made a move to hit him on the head, but Yamato got to him instead.

The brown-haired guy gave Yuuya a hard bonk on the head. "Don't mind him, Rei."

"Way ahead of you, Yamato. What's your story?"

"Heir to the Count of Edessa, which is right next door to Westlake."

"You guys already knew each other?"

He shook his head. "We only were ever together when our dads would host a ball or something. Personally, I only knew him as the playboy son of the Duke who once hit on the Crown Princess when she visited.

I saw red.

"THAT WAS YOU!" I rounded on Yuuya.

In an awesome display of agility, he jumped over the couch, and ran to the opposite end of the room. "Is it too late to say, 'forgive me'?"

With smoke literally coming out of my ears, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "CLEO WAS ONLY TRYING TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU! ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS SHAKE HER HAND! BUT, NOOOOOOO! YOU HAD TO GO GRAB HER ASS AND RAISE HER SKIRT! WHY I OUGHTA-"

Yamato grabbed my arm. "Rei, calm down! Easy there, buddy!"

The smoke lessened a little.

"That effing excuse for a gentleman groped my SISTER!" I pointed at the cowering pile of blonde goo that used to be Yuuya.

The goo spoke. "That's my problem, man! I love girls!"

"LOVING THEM DOES NOT NECESSARILY EQUATE TO HITTING ON THEM!" I bellowed.

Yuuya stood up. "I know, I know. But, I can't help it! When I see a pretty girl, she likes me, BAM! I just do things I have no control over! It just happens! I kiss one; I feel up another, I make out with the next girl who wears a mini-skirt! I don't know what to do!" He ran his hand through his hair angrily, making it stand on end.

I cooled down a bit. That seemed a bit more reasonable. "I forgive you, Yuuya."

He smiled. "Thanks, man. Though, I gotta say, your sister is one fine piece of feminine specimen."

"That's my SISTER, dude." I gave him a Death-Glare to emphasize my point.

"Hey, if it helps, she ALMOST ruined my chances of ever having a family." He shuddered.

"Remind me to thank...Wait, did you hit on the brunette, or the orange-head?"

"Brunette. One HOT mama."

"Want me to make you REALLY lose all your chance of ever having family?"

Yuuya took a step backward. "Point taken, Rei. Okay, so you're anti-social and I'm too social -" He turned to Yamato. "What's your problem?"

Yamato shrugged. "Nothing. My parents just wanted me to come here."

I rolled my eyes. (Boy, that feels good!) "Now, that's just B.S., Yamato. You're stuck with US. You've definitely GOT a problem."

He sat down, and ran a hand through his hair. Looking away, he answered. "I can't talk to girls."

"Whaddya mean, you can't TALK to girls? It's the same talking to boys, except you have to make sure you don't say boobs or pe-"

I threw a pillow at him. "Keep that horrible excuse for a mouth closed, and let the man talk."

"I mean, yeah, Yuuya's got a point, it's the same as talking to guys, but with me...I just can't talk. When the girl talks to me, my mind goes BLANK. Nothing. Just cree, cree, cree, cree...Damn, I hate those crickets."

Hey, even I, Mr. Loner, can talk to girls. This guy has it BAD. "So, what do you do, Yamato?"

"Blush. Freeze up. Look away. Shuffle my feet. Talk incoherently. I eventually run away. And that's when I'm calm. It's a WHOLE different story if I'm panicking."

This time Yuuya spoke up. Hmm, it seems I didn't shove the pillow as far down his throat as I thought I did. "Is this applicable to ALL girls?"

Yamato smiled, and then blushed. "Weeee-eell..."

Yuuya and I looked at each other, and looked hopefully back at Yamato. No effing way...

"She's my best friend."

We both collapsed on the floor.

"Of all the rotten evil luck in the world-"

"Honestly, I don't know who's the worst among us-"

Yamato laughed. "You both will be pleased to know that she is HERE, in Inverness."

"WHAT!" Yuuya and I exclaimed. "Then what the hell are you doing here with us? Shouldn't you be out there in the lake making out with her?" The blonde said.

I raised my eyebrow. I should really STOP doing that. Not.

"Are making out with girls all you ever REALLY think about, Yuuya?"

He made a show of thinking really hard, and winked. "Yeah, pretty much."

I let out an exasperated sigh, and sat back on the couch. "Okay, here's the deal. Yuuya, you're too social. You go for anything within a five meter radius that has breasts and talks. Yamato, you freak out with EVERY SINGLE girl, EXCEPT your best friend, who also HAPPENS to be conveniently here in Iverness, the Hormone Capital of the universe. As for me, I'm cold, indifferent, and incapable of feeling."

Yuuya turned to me. "Aw, you're not like that Rei."

"Tell that to the three girls I fought with this morning."

"What? It's your first day here, and ALREADY you have the reputation of picking a fight with three defenseless, innocent-"

"I wouldn't call them innocent, Yuuya. Trust me, they were anything BUT."

His face lit up. "Ooooh...Tell me-"

"Nope, no numbers. Scared them away before I had the chance too."

"You sick man."

"Best compliment I've heard all day."

We grinned at each other. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all.

As if on cue, all three of us let out a huge yawn. We burst out laughing. Gods, it felt GREAT to laugh.

Yamato checked his watch. "Holy, it's 10:30! Men, we've gotta go to sleep!"

I asked, "Why?"

"Orientation at 9:30 tomorrow."

"Eh?"

"We meet all the other students."

"Ah, yes..." Yuuya rubbed his hands, a devilish glint in his eye. "First pick of the new semester. It's hunting season, guys!"

I stood up and stretched, and headed for my bedroom. Yamato and Yuuya did the same thing.

We stood in front of our doors, looking at each other.

Yuuya grinned. "Sweet dreams?"

Yamato answered. "Sleep tight?"

I finished. "Don't let the evil girls bite."

Of course, Yuuya had to answer. "Oh, bite me! Bite me!"

And with a slam, we all went inside our rooms.

I trudged to my bed, and let out a yawn that threatened to split my head open. It must be really that late. I flopped on the bed, which is HUGE and fluffy. (just the way I like it - it reminds of my own bed back home) I lie there, thinking about all the things that happened today.

Well, so much for my first day in Inverness.

It's not so bad as I thought at first.

Things are really different when you have friends.

**PLEASE READ! PLEASE READ! PLEASE READ! PLEASE READ!**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE :**

**WE LIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEEE!**

Yes, I know.

First off, I want to APOLOGIZE for not updating. The past year…was just HORRIBLE. Activity, after activity, after project, after project…And maybe a side trip to hell or two.

See, third year high school lamang po ako, and third year in our school DEMANDS that we have to produce three damn plays, organize the damn JS Prom, put up with not one, not two, but FOUR Math subjects (which are Chemistry, Trigonometry, Statistics, and Entrepreneurship. Just saying is makes me tired.) Adding all that up, plus your usual projects, papers, and tests, there's just simply NO time to write.

I'm really sorry I put all that off. I know, I feel horrible. I know how it feels to wait for a story to be updated. Grrrr…I don't blame you guys if you want to hunt me down, torches and pitchforks and all. I just wanted to explain WHY it took me so DAMN long to write. Try being in all three plays, PLUS the director of one, and MANAGING your adorable but VERY PATIENCE-STRAINING classmates. Unforgettable, but NEVER AGAIN!

So now, Cammie and I are fourth year (Feel so old. GURANG!) and the work load has seemingly lightened, so I can assure you guys that I WILL be able to update on a SEMI-regular basis. Hehehe…

Thanks for sticking to _Change in the Wind! _I hope it will not disappoint!

I LOVE YOU GUYS! blows kisses and hands out cyber-cookies

**Publisher's Notes:**

Finally this story has been updated... Sorry took so long... Well Meg, the author, already explained why...

(scrolls up) Hmmm... So Meg said she'd update on a SEMI-regular basis... Hmmm... Wonder if this is possible... Haha... Maybe semi-basis means once a year... Haha... Am Joking! --

Please don't get too impatient with us... It's already too hard having journalism training, along with College Entrance Exam training over the summer, plus Southville Brain Olympiad training- which means classes during the Saturdays of May, plus tons of articles to pass, plus trying to have get-togethers with our friends... We barely have time to write... Plus we also have our own private stories that we are currently writing...

But of course, we might update sooner if we get a lot, and I mean a LOT of REVIEWS... See when I told Meg that we've been receiving reviews - even though the story has been on hold for almost a year - she finally started writing this chapter... So REVIEW if you want us to update sooner...

Hope you've enjoyed! Please REVIEW... Thanks! Luv ya all!

**NEXT CHAPTER : **

**_FIRST DAY FUNK! What happens when our three "heroes" come into contact with the girly kind? Namely three best friends named…_**


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